1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image sensing and recording device and an electronic still camera using the same and, more particularly, to an image sensing and recording device suitably used in a portable compact-type electronic still camera and an electronic still camera constituted by the image sensing and recording device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various types of electronic still cameras have been developed. An electronic still camera of this type is designed to electronically sense an object image, record the resultant electronic still image signal in a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk, and provide the signal for image reproduction by means of a television receiver or the like.
As disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 56-43884, an electronic still camera of this type comprises an optical lens, a solid-state image sensing device such as a CCD (charge coupled device) for photoelectrically converting an object image formed by the optical lens into signal charges corresponding to incident light in units of pixels, and a signal processing circuit for reading out the electronic still image signals electronically sensed by the solid-state image sensing device as time-serial signals and sequentially recording the signals in a predetermined recording medium such as a floppy disk or a memory card in units of images. Note that the electronic still camera may incorporate an image signal processor for performing color separation processing and the like of electronic still image signals to be recorded in a predetermined recording medium. In addition, the above-mentioned recording medium is generally designed to be detachably mounted on an electronic still camera main body so that after the recording medium is mounted on the electronic still camera main body to record electronic still image signals, the recording medium is detached from the electronic still camera main body and is mounted on a predetermined image reproducing unit so as to perform reproduction of still images upon reading of the electronic still image signals recorded in the recording medium.
According to the electronic still camera having such a system arrangement, a relatively long period of time is inevitably required to electronic image sensing input of an object image by means of the solid-state image sensing device and record electronic still image signals obtained by this image sensing in a predeterminedrecording medium. That is, when electronic still images electronically sensed by the solid-state image sensing device are to be recorded in a predetermined medium, the image signals are read out from the solid-state image sensing device as time-serial signals, and they must be recorded upon addition of sync signals or the like. For this reason, it time-serially takes much time to read and record electronic still image signals.
Furthermore, in order to perform the above-described image sensing and recording operation of electronic still image signals, complicated operation control such as read control of time-serial electronic still image signals by scanning performed by a solid-state image sensing device. This inevitably requires a control circuit for such control. For this reason, the arrangement itself of the electronic still camera is considerably complicated. This inevitably increases the cost of the camera.
Moreover, since a predetermined recording medium must be designed to be detachable or must be incorporated in the electronic still camera main body, the hardware arrangement is inevitably complicated, resulting in a large increase in cost of the came.